Not only is October a very beautiful month here in Wisconsin, but did you know it is also both Respect Life month and Down Syndrome Awareness month? And, isn't it even more lovely that October 1st is, as my Catholic friends know, the feast day of our much loved Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux? She teaches us how we can love God in our own little ways, as children do. (These little ways are much more difficult to do on a regular basis, but they sure add up to big ways!) I think she is a wonderful patron saint for my little Erin to emulate.
As for Down Syndrome Awareness month, specifically, there are some great sources on the web, and on my sidebar, for learning more. If you have any questions about Down syndrome, or Erin, feel free to ask away and I will be more than happy to answer questions. If I do not know the answer, it would be my pleasure to look it up. Honestly, I love researching and talking about Down syndrome, so I do hope I get as least one question :)
I would just like to bring one issue into greater awareness, and that would be, conveniently, combining the respect life and Down syndrome pieces together. After all, if we cannot respect the right to life of an individual with Down syndrome, there is not much point in offering further awarness. In our country, 90% of parent who receive a prenatal diagnosis abort their child with Down syndrome. There are many factors that play a role in that startling statistic. It is my prayer that ALL life, born and unborn, will be seen as precious, respected and protected. And from a more personal perspective, it is my prayer that those blessed with an extra chromosome will be valued and not singled out for termination simply because of their genetic make-up. That is called eugenics. I pray that other parents will experience the honor and joy that Mike and I have, when parenting a child with special needs. St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us! Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn, pray for us!
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. Mt 18:1-5,10
